Detroit Tigers, Game 27: One thing I loved, one thing I didn't

TL;DR

The Detroit Tigers lost 9-8 to the Cincinnati Reds. Javier Báez hit a home run on a 3-0 pitch, marking his second career homer on such a pitch.

Key points

Tigers lost 9-8 to the Reds
Javier Báez hit a home run on a 3-0 pitch
Báez's homer was his second on a 3-0 pitch
The game took place at Great American Ball Park
Andrew Abbott was the pitcher for the Reds

Detroit TigersCincinnati RedsJavier BáezAndrew Abbott

The News' Tony Paul gives his quick takes on the Tigers' 9-8 loss to the Reds on Friday:

One thing I loved

A lot of baseball purists hate it, batters swinging at a 3-0 pitch. I almost always love it. You're rarely going to get a better pitch to hit, and Javier Báez took advantage by sending a middle-middle, 91-mph fastball from Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott into the seats in right-center field to lead off the third inning.

It was the second homer on a 3-0 pitch of Báez's career, the other also being at Great American Ball Park, in 2020.

Báez's second homer of the year, giving Detroit a 2-0 lead, was the Tigers' first hit on a 3-0 pitch in 2026. The first four players to put balls in play on a 3-0 count made an out, including rookie Kevin McGonigle, who popped out on 3-0 during an 8-6 loss at Minnesota on April 8.

Astute X (formerly Twitter) followers will remember I didn't like that 3-0 swing by McGonigle, but it's all about the situation. In that case, there were two on and one out in the eighth inning of a game the Tigers trailed (and eventually lost), 8-6. In that case, the risk wasn't quite worth the reward late in a tight game where it could've been bases loaded with one out and Gleyber Torres coming up. In Báez's case Friday, leading off an inning early in a game the Tigers already were leading, it was worth a shot to give the team a spark. It's a read-the-room thing.